


Everything We Could Be

by marvelbabe



Category: Cow Chop (Youtube)
Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, F/M, More tags to be added, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, Slow Burn, at some point idk, thanks mishka
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2018-07-15 00:03:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7196981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelbabe/pseuds/marvelbabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You begin to bump into Aleks too much to be an accident. You figure you may as well get to know him and the dog that brings you two together.<br/>[aka the fic in which you and Aleks meet bc Mishka likes you a lil too much & Aleks finds out he likes you too]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Strangers Within Reach

There's very few moments in life where you can feel everything changing. You didn't know it at the time, but all of these small moments would add up to be something absolutely amazing. It all started with one small meeting.

It was a sunny day in Colorado, which was nice because the weather was being unpredictable lately, and yesterday was one of the worst hailstorms you had experienced in the 3 years you've lived there. Because of that you decided to go on a walk around your neighborhood. You were listening to a song when you heard someone yelling. You pulled your headphones out of your ears and heard the yelling again, this time louder.

"Mishka! What the hell!" You heard a man yelling somewhat far away. He seemed annoyed, but you weren't sure what you could do. You contemplated just walking away in the opposite direction to avoid the conflict all together, when you heard a small, playful yip behind you.

You bent down to pet the dog and muttered a small _hi puppy_ , at it. You pet the dog behind it's ears, and it rolled over onto it's stomach.  
"Oh, hi girl." You spoke. She looked like she was smiling, which only made you smile in return.  
You were just getting ready to leave the dog alone when you heard footsteps behind you and a man huffing.

"Mishka, my god." You turned around to see a tall man holding his hands behind his head and taking in small breaths.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't know she was yours. What happened?" You asked, trying to sound calm. You were a little scared, not knowing how this man would react to you petting his dog who apparently was giving him a hard time.  
"She ran away today. Scared the shit outta me." He looked down at you, and glared at his dog. "Thanks for distracting her though. She's way fuckin' faster than she looks." His profanity made you laugh lightly.  
"I'm sorry. Does she normally do this?" You ask as you stand up. You finally get a good look at him. He's a little red in the face, probably from chasing after his dog. His hair was neatly slicked back, and even though his face had a small sheen of sweat, he still looked very attractive. His eyes shifted over you, and his mouth pulled into a smile.  
"Ah, nah. This was the first time actually. I just hope it doesn't become a habit." You looked down at Mishka and smiled. "Maybe she just wants to adventure. I mean c'mon that face needs to be in the great outdoors!" You do a little jump and Mishka barks playfully at you.  
You hear the man shuffle behind you and let out a small chuckle.

"Maybe, or she's just bein' a little ass. Anyway, I'm Aleks. With a K. And an A. And an L-E-S. And yeah, this is Mishka." He gestures toward Mishka, and looks up at you. You laugh and give him your name. You then shake hands and stand there for a good 4 seconds, saying nothing, the both of you looking at Mishka as if she was going to break the small awkward tension that comes with meeting strangers in an unconventional manner.

"Uh, do you live around here?" You hear Aleks ask. He cuts himself off before you can answer. "Well, like, obviously you live around here, but are you close? Am I holding you up from something?" He's swinging his hands back and forth, and you chalk it up to a nervous habit.  
"Yeah, I'm just a few blocks down. The other sub-divison actually. And, uh, you're not really holding me up from anything I was just enjoying the sun before we get hailed on all over again."

He nods his head in a half-hearted agreement and it goes back to a silent tension that you wonder if he feels too. In that moment you notice that your music is still softly playing from your headphones. You take out your phone and turn it off, and then look back at Aleks. He's bent over rubbing circles into Mishka's forehead. The small gesture makes your heart feel warm.  
"Well, I hope you two make it home safe." You bend down and join Aleks in rubbing her head. "No more running away, yeah?" You smile and look over at Aleks. "It was nice to meet you, Aleks."  
He stands with you and smiles. "Yeah, you too. See you around?"

"Who knows, maybe she'll escape again." You smirk, "Our fate line or whatever." You add in as a small joke. 

You hear Aleks laugh and turn to walk away.  
"Huh yeah, our fate line."


	2. People In Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a week since you've met Aleks, and while he hasn't been on your mind too much, he doesn't let you forget him anytime soon.

You were sitting on the couch in your watching reruns of SVU on netflix, while also trying to play Fallout, and eating a small bowl of pasta. It was 6:42 pm and you sighed. Today was supposed to be a work day, but instead you spent most of it playing video games and watching tv. _Oh well, there will always be other days._

You were just getting ready to play some more Fallout, when you heard a rasp at the door. Not even bothering to set your pasta down, you padded to the door and opened it. "Oh thank god." Aleks stood there, hoodie covering part of his face, looking at you with some sort of desperation in his face. 

"Aleks? What the hell it's pouring down rain, get in the house!" You pulled him by the wrist until you heard the squeak of his wet shoes on your hardwood floor. "What are you doing here? Wait, wait a second, how did you find my house?" You stood there, arms crossed over your chest, confusion lacing your voice. 

"Okay, so Mishka fucking ran away again, and I thought maybe you knew where she was? You're like the only person I know in this neighborhood and you said you lived the sub-division over so I've been knocking on people's doors' until I found yours. I guess I was lucky you're only the 4th house down." His words became smushed together the more he talked, agitation growing with each word. He looked cold, but the looked even more concerned. You saw him give you a once over, and found your face getting a little hot. He was soaking wet in your living room and you were only in a form fitting top and some old shorts. 

You began to walk up to your bedroom, but stopped when you heard Aleks question you. "Okay? What are you doing?" 

"I'm gonna go put some pants on and get a jacket. I haven't seen Mishka, but I'm sure we can find her before it gets too dark. Do you have treats or something?" You gestured to his jacket, hoping he had something tucked away. 

"No, not really," he started, "I guess... I guess I didn't really think of that." He stammered his way through the sentence, he looked somewhat embarrassed, but moreover he just looked tired. You didn't know how long he'd been looking for her, but you guessed he'd been at it awhile. 

"Okay. Well my kitchen is right through there," you pointed to the hallway leaving your living room, "In the fridge there might be some chicken or something you can heat up. Grab some food if you're hungry. I'll be a few minutes. And uh, there might be a towel or something down there." You gave him a quick reassuring smile and began your way up the stairs. 

You found a pair of jeans you wouldn't mind getting wet for a little while, an old Zelda t-shirt that probably needed to be washed, and a hoodie that resembles Aleks's, just blue instead of his maroon colored one. You grabbed a small backpack and put a flashlight in it and a first aid-kit from your upstairs bathroom, just in case anything happened. You caught your reflection in your bathroom mirror and saw how disheveled you looked. You fixed your hair, keeping it out of your face. You told yourself you were doing it only for convenience sake, and not so you looked a little more attractive. Your mind wandered to the man downstairs, and you found even your own eagerness to help him strange. Then again, if you lost a dog you'd be devastated as well. Plus, no better way to get out of the house and meet people. 

You slung your backpack across your shoulder and grabbed a pair of socks to put on after making yourself downstairs. 

"Hey Aleks?" You called, leaning over getting ready to put your shoes on. "Hey, yeah. I'm in the kitchen, sorry I'll only take a second." His voice sounded airy and light, almost like he was worried of being too loud. 

You walked into the kitchen and found Aleks leaning over and looking in your fridge. "Find anything worthy for dog catching?" You smiled, and the smile could be heard in your voice. "Actually, I was snooping for something for me. Just quick and easy, I've been searching for that little asshole for a while." He turned around and the grin that spread across his face was one that you haven't seen before, and probably his first smile of the night towards you. You got the feeling that Aleks wasn't exactly comfortable with new people, but he was trying at least. 

"Here, I'll make you a quick sandwich and one for you to take after we find the little bear. What do you want on them?" You smiled a small smile at him, and you looked over at him to see his eyes a little wide. 

He returned the smile and asked smoothly, "Little bear?" 

"Oh yeah, that's what Mishka means in Russian right? Little bear? I took it for a year and a half in high school. I don't remember a lot, but that's one of the things that I do remember. That and the bad words." You started quickly moving around the kitchen to find ingredients. 

You heard Aleks let out a small breath and a chuckle. "Yeah, she's my little bear. Kinda surprised you knew." 

It seemed like that little bit of knowledge meant something to him, but you weren't sure why, and didn't want to pry too much right now. You decided to ask about that later. You just shrugged and looked over at him, waving a piece of bread near him. "You never answered my question, dude." 

"Ah, just put whatever, I'd say I'm picky but I'm not. Beggars can't be choosers. And I'd like to get going." He didn't sound like the wanted to rush you though, he only spoke in an informative tone. He shifted idly around your small kitchen picking up spices you had splayed around and putting them back down again. 

"Okay here ya go. I'll put this one in a bag and then we can go. And oh! Did you get the impromptu dog treats?" He pulled out a small bag of chicken and nodded to you, taking the sandwich you held out to him and biting down. "Damn. Thank you. I appreciate it." He sounded breathy and genuine in his words. It made you chuckle at him. "Yeah, of course. Okay kid. C'mon, we got a bear to find." 

You two start your way out of the door, Aleks in tow behind you, dog treats in one hand and a sandwich in the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's stickin' with me through this. I want to update as quick as possible. I'll take whatever you guys can give me c:


	3. Acquaintances Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Aleks go on the hunt for Mishka.

You found yourself leaning closer to Aleks, it wasn't dark yet but you knew it would be soon.

He's still chewing on what was left of the sandwich you made him, he looked content and determined. He sees you looking at him and smiles meekly.

"So, I've already checked the places close to my house, and where you found her sitting there last time. Honestly, I wouldn't have gone out to find you if it weren't important. I'm sorry about this. I-uh, I tried to call some of my friends but, you know, they're busy with shit. So thank you." He didn't look at you when he said it, but you knew he meant it. You just nodded your head.

"How far have you gone and when did she leave?" If you were going to help him, you actually wanted to do something useful. "I'd say I've stayed close to home, haven't gone driving or anything. And it's only been like 4 hours, but I don't know why she keeps on fucking running away." You heard the worry in his voice. It was sweet to you that he cared so much about his dog. It made you want to trust him.

"Well, okay. Did you want to split up and look for her, have more eyes covering the places around here?" The sun was starting to set so just in case you reached into your backpack and handed him a flashlight. He took it without a word and pocketed it in his hoodie.

Turning his whole body to look at you he smirked, "When has splitting up ever really helped a person? Have you ever seen a horror movie in your life?"

You skipped in front of him and mocked him in a teasing tone, "Why, Aleks, is a big strong man like you scared without littl' ol' me? And," you started matter-of-factly "splitting up has ALWAYS helped the gang on Scooby-Doo." He scoffs.

"Oh, yeah totally. You're lucky I'm here to protect your ass. And, no, that's not true at all, all splitting up does is get them in more of a shit show." He feigns like he's mad, but you see it in his dark eyes that he's playful, and you like it when he's like this. Things seem easier, less rushed and awkward.

"Thanks. My ass appreciates it." You wiggle a little and hear him let out a loud laugh. "Okay, dude, since you don't want us to split up let's just go out a little farther into the neighborhood."

You two walk side by side for a while, the whole time listening intently for any rustle or bark from the distance. You tell Aleks to take out the food they had for her and he did, shaking it in the air a little bit. Both of you call out her name periodically. You notice how silent Aleks is, you wonder if that's just his personality or if it's because he's slightly nervous, it _was_  getting darker.

The rain has let up somewhat, so you aren't as soaking as he is. You look over to him, subtly, and see raindrops fall down his nose and past his lips. This was the first time you've ever really looked at his face closely. His features were somewhat hard to make out, the lack of light isn't helping you, but you still see the pout of his lips, gentle and soft, and the small outline of his eyelashes. He must've noticed you looking at him because he turned to face you and let out a small, almost self-conscious, "What?" He brings his hand up to his forehead, brushing small hairs out of his face. You shake your head, letting him know it was nothing important.

You wanted to start to try and strike up a conversation when you heard a bark, not too far away. Without even glancing at Aleks you two run toward the sound.

"Mishka! Do you want a treat?" He's slowed down to a light jog. You hear the small pat, pat, pat, of dog feet on concrete. "Fuckin' dog," he starts when he sees her, "You keep on scaring the shit out of me." You see him walk up to her, she does a little spin and sits on the ground. "I'm not giving you any treats until you follow me the whole way home and stay right the hell there." He wasn't really mad. You could hear the relief in his voice. You saw him take a little leash out of his back pocket and click it into place onto Mishka's collar.

She pads her way over to you and sniffs at your shoes. "Hey little bear, remember me? Probably not, but whatever." You take her small paw in her hand and shake it, you tell her your name, introducing yourself. She playfully bites at the hand that's holding hers. You see Aleks smile.

"Okay, well. Seems like you don't need me anymore. Here, take this." You pull out the neatly wrapped sandwich you stowed away. Aleks pulls a half-grin and says, "It's dangerous to go alone?" You laugh, nodding your head.

"Here, we'll walk with you home. It's on the way." You don't say anything in response, instead you just walk with the two of them, enjoying the small humidity in the air that followed the stopping of the rain. You noticed how Aleks seemed a little bit more comfortable around you. He seemed nice, respectful when he wanted to be, and caring obviously.

"So uh -- how long have you lived here?" His voice startled you slightly, but not enough to make you jump. "In Colorado? 3 years," you begin, "In this neighborhood, like 4 months, give or take." You look up at him, "What about you?" He shifts his body, moving slightly away from you. "Yeah, a couple of years. I've been here for awhile." He gives you a curt nod, and you smile a little at him, encouraging him. When he says nothing else you ask a different question.

"How old is Mishka?" His eye shift to the small dog practically prancing next to you two, "Almost 3, which is why this running away crap is pissing me off." Mishka looks up at him, almost like she knows she's being talked about. "Maybe she's in heat or something. Have you checked your yard for holes. Mishka might just wanna get frisky." You smile at the dog, and Aleks grins. "Yeah, maybe. I honestly didn't even think about that. She's fixed though, so maybe she's just bored of me." You flash a quick smile up at him, while you all rounded the corner and walked up to the small door of your house.

You're about to say your thanks for them walking you and wave bye when you hear a quick question from Aleks.

"You wanna hang out some time?" He gives a nervous laugh, "What you said about Mishka and the fate line thing cracked me up. Thought maybe she wanted us to be friends or something, cause she only fuckin' shows up when you're around." Your heart speeds up at the idea of hanging out with him, it's small, but you feel the change in your chest.

You let out a giddy breath, quiet enough only for you to hear. "Yeah, yeah. That'd be nice. Might as well be friends with the guy that keeps letting his dog out so he has a reason to talk to me. Flattering as far as pick-up-lines go."

Aleks liked your sarcasm and whit. He couldn't help but chuckle at you. Putting his hands up in defense, like you've caught him in the act, he retorts, "What can I say? I'm just a natural ladies man. So much so I have to lure girls by telling them my dog is missing." You lightly hit him on the arm with the back of your hand. You notice how wet his clothes still are and you realize he probably really wants to get home. Mishka is wet and a little bit dirty.

You dig into the bottom of your backpack and pull out a pen. "Here, gimme your hand." Aleks looked at you skeptically. "Oh, c'mon trust me." He presents you with the hand that wasn't clutching Mishka's leash. You flip it over so his palm is facing upwards. You scrawl your number and name on it. "

There, now you don't have to come find me in the rain." He glances down at his hand and then back at you. He gives you a silly toothy grin. "Bye, Aleks. Bye little bear." You wave to them and close the door behind you as you enter your house.

A few minutes later,  just after you had changed into warm, dry clothes, you get a text from a number you didn't have saved.

_hey, it's aleks_

_thanks for today_

_talk to you tomorrow?_

Your eyes lingered on the question mark. He's asking you, not telling you, letting you set the pace of your friendship for right now.

_yeah dude, talk to you tomorrow (:_

You set your phone down and try to calm the feeling in your stomach. You kept telling yourself they weren't butterflies, they were just because you never finished eating your meal. You went downstairs, trying to think about anything other than Aleks and his damn dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys! c: I hope you like it so far


	4. Group Scattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like you needed any reason to see Aleks again. This time you're introduced to a friend.

You wake up the next morning feeling warmer than normal. The sun is shining through your delicate curtains. You look at your alarm clock. 11:23 am. This is the longest you've slept in for a long while. Running around with Aleks must've kicked your ass more than you thought.

Aleks. You smiled at the thought of him and Mishka running around. Maybe you dreamt about him, but right now you couldn't muster up enough brain power to remember, you were still exhausted.

You reached over to find your phone on your bed still plugged in. You tap the screen noticing you had 5 messages from Aleks. You felt your body go warm.

_goodmornin_ \- 8:13 am  
_Mishka also says goodmorning_ \- 8:15 am

God he was such a dork. It made your stomach do small flips. You still didn't really know why. You hadn't gotten to know him too well, maybe it was just the excitement of talking to someone new.

_hey i just realized i still have your flashlight_ \- 9:24 am  
_you wanna come over and get it?_ \- 9:32 am  
_damn dude i'll let you sleep in text me when you wake up_ \- 11:10 am

You shook your head a little, laughing at his last text.

  
_good afternoon, sorry, you and your dog wore me out_  
_when do you want me over?_

You reluctantly pull yourself from your bed, the covers sticking to your body. You make your way over to your dresser and pull out some jeans with holes ripped in them (that's the way you bought them, thank you very much) and a red t-shirt that clung well to your body. You make your way to the shower and hear a small buzz come from your bed before you leave the room.

Unplugging the phone you read the message from Aleks.

_whenever you want, i'm the 2nd house over on the right_

You read the message and set it on your bathroom counter. It doesn't take you long to shower, get dressed, fix your hair and put whatever makeup you felt you wanted to.  
You were out of the house in 35 minutes texting Aleks you were on your way. It was sunny which felt nice on your skin. It wasn't too humid in the air, something you were grateful for. Making your way up to the door, you knock a few times before hearing a deep voice, that clearly wasn't Aleks's, call out. "Hey! Get the door!" You wanted to back up and start walking the other way, you were afraid you had gotten the wrong door until you heard Aleks voice.

"Can you two fuck off please." He was looking behind the door when he said it. You heard two sets of excited paws scramble behind him. He looks at you and smiles. "Hey." He says warmly. The way he says it gives you butterflies, you try to ignore the feeling.

"Hey." You say back, returning the smile. "I didn't know you had two dogs," you asked, stepping into his home. You slide off your shoes and turn toward him.  
He was leaning on the wall closest to you. You took a second to look at him. He was wearing a nice grey shirt that was pulled up to his elbows. This was the first time you saw his tattoos. You had to admit, they looked really nice on him. Glancing from his tattoos to his upper arms you saw he was muscular, and you felt almost guilty for observing him like that. His voice snapped you back, bringing your eyes to meet him. You're sure he noticed you looking at him.

"Oh, I don't. The corgi is James's, he's a friend of mine. I know I shoulda told you he was over but it was a last minute thing. He didn't even tell me." He gave you an apologetic look, and you just waved him off. "Nah, it's fine. I really don't mind. Plus I'm here to get that flashlight and then I'm outta here. Can't stand being around you for this long." You moved past him, making your way towards the living room. You let him lead you there though, making sure not to make yourself to at home too fast.

"I know the only reason you came over was to see Mishka," he smirks at you. You notice the way his lip curl up when he smiles. You like it. "I guess it's just your lucky day she has a friend over." "Guess so," you beam at him, echoing his words. You heard some rustling in Aleks's kitchen and you could only assume that was James.

"Who was at the door maaaan?" James's voice carried throughout the house.

"Dude, shut up. We're literally right here."

You saw James saunter in, bag of chips in his hand. "We?" He starts to question before he sees you. You give him a small wave, and he smiles at you. You notice how tall these two are compared to you. James's hair was somewhat hidden behind a black beanie, but you still saw that he had decently long hair. He had tattoos going up his arm like Aleks, but only one of his arms were covered.

"Yeah yeah. This is James." He introduces you two, letting you give your name to the other man and awkwardly shake hands, not really knowing what else to do.  
You feel two little paws at your feet and look down. You see a fluffy corgi looking up at you. You bend down and pet it.  
"That's Ein. She's James's," Aleks says. Almost stating the obvious.

You look up at James while still petting his dog. "Ein, like the dog from Cowboy Bebop?"

James flashes a big smile at you, his laugh rumbles the house. "Fuck yeah. It's always cool whenever someone gets the reference. Most people think I was creative enough to come up with that all on my own."

Out of the corner of your eye you notice that Aleks is moving to sit on the couch that takes up most of the room. He flops down and glances over at James, "No, no one thinks that, ever."

James quickly cranes his neck around to look at Aleks, the movement cracks you up. "I wasn't fuckin' talking to you, was I?" James goes to sit on the small chair facing the TV. You see they were playing Dark Souls 3. Standing up, giving one last pat to Ein on the head, you go to sit next to Aleks.

"How long have you guys played already?" You motion toward the TV. You're looking at Aleks, but instead James is the one to answer you.

"At home I have a few hours, like 8 or something. Nothing too crazy. Right now we're just grinding, not really going too far into story stuff, trying to learn our way around I guess."

You hum back in approval. Tucking your feet under you, trying to get comfortable. You spend some time listening to Aleks and James banter off one another.

While the two joke around, occasionally bringing you into the conversation and laughing at the small jokes you put out there, you observe Aleks. You enjoy his smile whenever he genuinely laughs, seeing the laughter lines he has makes you want to smile too. The way his arm is slung over the end of the couch lets your eyes roam over the places where his shirt pulls. His muscles peak every now and then, and you can't deny that you enjoy it. Your train of thought is broken when Mishka jumps up on the couch and plops herself right on your lap.

"Well hey there little bear," you begin to pet her, Aleks notices and smiles, but you don't see the look he gives you. "Are you done running away now or what. Cause I'm losing sleep over your little ass."

Then, James out of no where yells, "Oh heeeey! You're 'cray needleee' or however you say it in his phone! Cool, cause I was wondering."

You tilted your head slightly to the side, "Uh, I'm confused." You looked at Aleks and you saw he was a little red in the face. You liked the look on him. His cheeks being a little more red brought out the color of his lips. You pushed your thoughts away. Looking from his lips to his eyes, they were narrowed at James.

"It's pronounced хранитель, dipshit." Aleks, spat back at James. Keeping his eyes on the TV, and not looking over at you. The way he pronounces the word makes your face feel warm. His voice sounded deeper, scruffier. You saw the way his tongue flicked over his teeth to say the word. You wanted to hear him say more, you didn't care what he said you just wanted to hear it.

"Yeah, cause I'm going to fucking remember that." You could tell neither one of them were seriously mad at one another, James was still smiling, and you've come to notice that that's just how Aleks talks to people.

You looked over at Aleks and tapped on his thigh, "Hey," you said to him in a small voice. You looked at him with a questioning smile. He jumps slightly at the contact, instantly bringing his eyes to your hand, and then your eyes. He sighs.

"It means, 'the keeper'. I just thought it was fitting, cause look even now the little shit is drawn to you." You feel your face heat up all the way to your ears. You clear your throat.  
"I didn't know you knew Russian?" You heard the confusion in your voice, you didn't try to sound as skeptical as you did.

"What," James cuts in, nodding to you and smiling, "you thought with a name like Aleksandr, spelled the way it is, that he was American?"

"I thought it was just Aleks? You forget I met this dude like 2 weeks ago, and I'm pretty sure I know more about his dog then I do about him." You jut your thumb out at Aleks, pointing at him.

"I'm Russian, lived there since I was 8 and then I moved to the US. S'why I thought it was pretty cool you knew what Mishka meant." He gave you a warm smile, letting you know he was comfortable with you knowing this. It wasn't a big secret, you were sure he'd gladly tell you if you asked, but it just showed he trusted you. You smiled back, opening your mouth to ask him more questions when James lets out a loud sigh.

"I want to know what your nickname for me is Aleksandr." James flutters his eyelashes, it makes you laugh. You see a smirk flash over Aleks's face. "мудак," is all he says and you burst out laughing. James throws his hands up in the air. 

"What the fuck. Is there some Russian club that I'm not apart of?" You look over at him, a smile on your face. "Yeah, it's called living in Russia," you point over at Aleks, and then to yourself, "And a shitty year of Russian in high school." James sits there looking at you. "Well oh-fuckin'-kay then. Was it at least a good nickname?" You nod your head in a condescending way, "One of the sweetest compliments you can ever get out of a man." Puffing out his chest, James grins. He sits there like that for a second, a goofy look on his face. "I know you're lying but it really doesn't matter either way to me." The three of you laugh. You like these two and how care-free they are, it's reassuring to you. 

You guys sit like that for awhile, conversations going on between all of you. You watch Aleks play Dark Souls for you don't know how long, he was an easy person to watch. After an hour or so you estimate, James looks at his phone. 

"Dude, I need to get going. We have videos to prep, so be there early." James begins to rise from his seat when he does a quick look at you. You have a confused look on your face. You never did ask what Aleks did for a living, now that you think about it.

"We do YouTube stuff. You should check it out some time." You see Aleks tense a small bit at this. It confuses you even more. You watch enough YouTube to know that you haven't ever heard of a James or an Aleks before. You then wonder why Aleks is so uncomfortable about the whole thing. Before you can press any more information out of James he walks to scoop up Ein who was laying down under your feet.

"It was cool meeting you, hopefully we see you around here more. It's nice knowing Aleks doesn't just hang out with me. Gives me hope for the dude."  
Aleks, without taking his eyes off of the TV screen, flips James off. They both laugh, and you say your goodbye to James and his dog.  
As soon as you hear the door close you scoot a small bit closer to Aleks.

"So, tell me about this whole YouTube thing." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorta, kinda filler. But also important. I'm happy to see people are actually reading this! It makes me so happy, thank you all~ c:


	5. We Found Friendship Within These Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Aleks talk, and it's refreshing, and you feel something that you haven't in a long time.

Aleks scratches the back of his head, avoiding eye contact with you.

"I'd say it's a long story but, uh, I guess it's not. James and I were part of a group on YouTube called 'The Creatures' but after a couple of years things just didn't work out any more. We started our own channel, 'Cow Chop,'" Aleks took a breath and looked over at you, waving his hand around, "Couch co-op, I think the name is pretty funny. Plus it's the most fun I've had in a long time." A genuine smile crosses his face, and you can't help but smile either. 

Your curiosity gets the best of you though, and you start asking more questions. "So, you've never done this on your own, it's always been a group effort?" 

He looks at you, almost like he's caught off guard. "Wh- no? I've had my own channel for, like ever." 

You tilt your head to the side, "So, what? You're not gonna tell me the name, I mean I'm pretty sure I can find out any way." You smile at him. 

"Ah, I don't know. It's just me opening cases and stuff- nothing too exciting." 

Your face changes, and he sees it. Scared he's said something wrong he tries to backtrack, but you cut him off. "So Counter-Strike is your thing, hmm. Interesting, I thought of you more like a DOTA or League of Legends player. Is that what you guys play on Cow Chop too?" 

Aleks face lit up and he faced toward you a little more. "Cow Chop is just anything really. Sometimes we don't even play games. We look like big idiots. And, so, you play?" 

"When don't you two look like big idiots?" You flash him a bright smile and you see him smiling back. "And yeah I have, I'm no good but I'm not terrible either." 

"That's cool. We should play sometime?" You're both close enough to where your shoulders are lightly brushing against each other. It dawns on you how natural this feels, the closeness and the warmth. The feeling in your stomach is back, and you can't help but just look at Aleks. His eyes are shining and sweet whenever they look at you, his tone is subtle and quiet. You lean on to him just a small amount, but you know he feels it. 

"Yeah, that would be pretty nice." When he smiles your eyes flicker to his lips, and he notices you looking. You feel your face go warm, and you try to cover it up with a question. "So, is uh, is YouTube how you make your living then?" 

Aleks turns his head toward the TV paying attention to his game again, not much progress was getting done, but neither of you were really paying attention to it. 

"Yeah, it's complicated sometimes, but yeah. What about you? How do you afford your fancy flashlights and frozen chicken?" You feel him tap his knee against yours, patronizing almost. You ram him lightly with your shoulder and laugh quietly. 

"Well," you start taking a deep breath, "I came to Colorado for college. You know, chasing dreams and changing the world, all that jazz. Turns out, I'm not fit for what I want to do. Not fit for college, for dorms, for fuckin' cliques and high school on a bigger scale." You heard the rise in your voice, you cleared your throat and hung your head on the back of the couch a little, putting more of your weight on the side of Aleks. 

Talking quieter this time you began again, "So, instead of leaving and going home I'm trying to make a living all by myself. I'm looking for work right now, but who knows. Maybe I'll end up living under a nice bridge, making friends with the rats." 

You suddenly feel a tentative hand on your knee, your head lifts and looks at Aleks. You hear his voice, sweet and so different from normal. "Hey, I'm sorry. If it helps any, I dropped out too. College fucking sucks. That's it." 

If you were being honest, you felt like crying. Your friends all lived at home. You may have lived in Colorado for 3 years, but friends were few and far between. You took in a breath before talking again. "You're lucky though. I'm happy for you, you've found what you wanted to do. Even if it is weird and unconventional." 

"Oh man, you stick around and you'll see how fuckin' weird and unconventional my life is." His attention was back to the TV again, and his smile was so genuine it hurt. 

"Is that a promise?" You see the challenge in his face when you say this. 

"You know it is." It's in that moment that you realize that you could get used to this. You could get used to the laughter and jokes and small talk. You could get used to late night gaming and having a place to go other than home. You could get used to friends. 

"Hey," you said in a sing-song voice, "you never told me the name of your channel." 

"I was kind of really hoping you forgot." 

"Hah, yeah you fucking wish. Now c'mon. Tell me, please Aleks, pleaseeeee." You clamped your hands together in a pleading motion. 

You saw his face go red and it only made you smile more. He seemed choked up for some reason, "O-Okay but listen, you have to promise me one thing." 

Suddenly you felt your face fall, "Yeah, yeah of course." You didn't think this was such a serious matter, and you kicked yourself for not being a little bit more understanding. 

"Promise me you won't watch any." You saw him smiling the biggest smile you've ever seen, and then you don't feel so bad. 

"What's the point of me knowing then!" You push him lightly. 

"Hey, a deal is a deal!" He lightly pushes you back, but you find yourself liking the small amount of contact. It was close without feeling weird. You liked spending time with Aleks, it was something you enjoyed. 

"Tellllll me." Drawing out the l's. 

"ImmortalHD. That's it." You smiled at him, but didn't say anything for awhile until he went on playing his game. 

Then, you whispered, "I'm totally going to watch them." You laughed whenever he lightly shoved it. 

Smiling, you watched Aleks play, rage, and quit multiple times. It wasn't until you almost fell asleep with Mishka in your lap that you decided to actually check your phone for the time. 

"Holy shit!" Your voice cutting the silence makes Mishka and Aleks jump. "What! What! What's wrong?!" You put your phone up to Aleks's face, it's 11, what the hell! That's like," you pause, counting on your fingers, "10 hours of me fuckin' annoying you!" 

"Damn dude. I didn't notice. I mean, I totally noticed you annoying me, that's hard to miss." You roll your eyes at him. 

"Oh fuck off." There's no heat behind the words, and he knows it. You let out a yawn and pet Mishka a little more. "I should really go though. According to James you have big things to do tomorrow." 

Aleks then lets out an over-dramatic sigh, "Why do you remind me, why are you like this. Why." He puts his head in his hands, leaning over slightly. You rub his back. 

"Hey, look at the bright side. You told me to stick around so I can do this to you more often now." You give his back one hard pat and he looks up and smiles at you. 

You both sit there for a little while, forgetting about the fact that you were going to leave. 

"I have a question for you." Aleks says after some time of no one saying anything. "I'm sure I have an answer. No promises though." 

"Why don't you come work for us?" He glanced at you, looking for a reaction. 

"Doing what? I don't think I'd feel right getting paid by you." 

"Fun fact," he says in a voice that you can only dub as 'smart ass,' "I will not be paying you. And can you do editing stuff? Computer wise?" 

"Uh, I mean sort of. I know the inside tech of computers but I'm not sure if the extent of my very expansive, and impressive I might add, knowledge is enough." 

"I honestly cannot tell if you're being serious or not." His tone was almost annoyed, it worried you. 

"Oh, were _you_ being serious?" You looked him in the eye, trying to show that you were sorry. 

"I mean, yeah. I'd like to help you, plus you'd be helping us. Why not?" He shrugged, not looking at you. 

"Talk to James about it, and whoever else you need to talk to. If you wanted I'd start helping on weekends." You rose to leave, petting Mishka and stretching a little bit. 

"Really?" His face lit up, it was something that you weren't expecting. 

Picking up the small pillow that was on his couch, you lightly hit him with it. "Yeah really, you fuckin' loser. How could I turn that offer down? Editing stuff, that's practically what I was put on this Earth to do." You we're being way too sarcastic, but it only made you two laugh. You made your way towards the door, waving to Aleks as you left the living room. Mishka was stretching and following you every step of the way. 

"Mishka, no. You've gotta stay. Gotta be a good girl and not be a lil shit okay?" You talked to her in that voice that all people talk to dogs in. You heard a laugh from the living room. "Hey! She's gotta start listening to someone in this house!" 

Aleks then appears in the hallway walking toward you. "Yeah yeah, she only listens to you because you baby her." 

"Aleks," you whisper, "no fighting in front of the children." 

The both of you look down at Mishka who's sitting looking up at you two. It looks like she's smiling, and it makes you laugh. 

You turn the doorknob and start to walk out before you stop and pop your head in. "Hey Aleks." 

"Yeah?" He's looking at you with a curious expression. Your stomach gets those feelings again. 

"Does this," you wave your hand in front of you, somewhat wildly, "make us friends?" 

He laughs, an honest-to-God rumbling laugh. "Yeah," he whispers your name slightly, it gives you shivers, "this totally makes us friends." 

You give a loud sigh of relief. "Okay." You softly say before giving a wave to the both of them and closing the door. 

After you shut it you stood there, looking into the darkness of the night. You weren't scared, for the first time in a long time you weren't scared. You were happy. 

Right after you made it into your house you felt your phone vibrate. 

_goodnight, sleep well_

You couldn't stop smiling. You told yourself over and over again it was just because you felt like you had made an actual friend. Someone you can trust, because after just this one day you feel accepted and warm and so happy. You threw your phone on your bed, changing and getting ready for bed. 

You were about to fall asleep whenever your phone vibrated again, twice. 

_you know what i just noticed_

_i still have your flashlight_

You laughed, and texted him back 

_might as well just keep it, soon i'll be able to afford like 10 fancy flashlights_

It doesn't take him long to text you back, and you felt like you were 12 again because your heart couldn't stop beating so hard in your chest waiting for him to answer. 

_it'll just be an excuse for you to come over tomorrow_

And there goes that feeling in your stomach. You fell asleep, smiling, before you could answer him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! I'm so sorry for how late this this! I'm sorry x 100  
> In other news though, Aleks got a cat! I'm gonna try to work that in somewhere but it might have to be a little later in the story.  
> You guys are amazing and as always, comments, kudos, anything is appreciated and keeps me going. Thank you guys!


	6. Tentative Touches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Late night adventures that make your heart race.

You find yourself growing closer with both Aleks and James as the weeks go on. You spend less and less time at home, and more time with what you've come to dub 'the crew.' The first time you met Joe, Trevor, Aron, and even Brett was a whirlwind, but that's just something you've become accustomed to.

  
Tonight, like most other nights, you were sitting on Aleks's couch watching both him and James play some new game you didn't care enough to keep up with. You were sitting there with your feet tucked under you, Mishka next to you, and your phone in your hands. You were half-way paying attention to the game that the two were playing as your scrolled through whatever you pleased.

  
"Dude, you're totally cheating," James huffs as the screen shows Aleks's victory.

  
You feel Aleks shift to look towards you, "You weren't even watching what the hell!"

  
"You're so sensitive," rolling your eyes you gently pat him on the arm. "I'm sure it was great."

  
"Damn right it was, and I'm totally not a cheater." You hum lightly in response and both the boys go back to bickering. You felt like this song and dance was second nature to you. The rhythm you had with the boys was nice. Things felt normal, almost like you'd been doing this for years and years when really it's been a little over a month since you've met them.

  
"Hey, so question," James kicked back his feet and threw his controller on the couch between you and Aleks, startling both you and Mishka. Your eyes flickered up to him.  
"What?" Your voice sounded more harsh than you meant, it only made James smile though.

  
"Has Aleks told you about this amazing pizza place like, fifteen minutes away?" You could hear the mischievousness in his voice, and see the annoyance in Aleks' face. You couldn't help but egg James on.

  
"Why, no James, Aleks hasn't. Would you care to elaborate?"

  
"Well, there's this place that has," James holds up his hand and counts on his fingers, "games, pizza, and is open 24/7. You wanna go, or you wanna sit here doing nothing?"  
Aleks laughs out of no where. "Dude, are you having cravings?"

  
"Cravings for something other than fuckin' sitting here, yeah." James gives a little huff at the end of his sentence.

  
You stand, without any warning, and skirt Mishka off your lap. She only gives you a little yawn in response.

  
"Uh," Aleks looks up at you and starts to move after you, "bye?" He seems worried, he's fidgeting with his hands, and that makes you feel bad in a weird way.

  
"I, for one, really want to eat," you start with a stretch as you bend over to collect your stuff from the floor, "and it would be awesome to watch you guys play something different. I agree with James. Your house is boring." You look at him, judging his reaction.

  
He sighs a long, dramatic sigh that you've come to expect from him. "Who's driving?" He glances at James and then back at you.

  
"I don't know where it is, so it can't be me. But I want shotgun, no matter what." You move out of the living room to the front door.

  
James is the one to drive in the end, and you two laugh in the front of the car while Aleks broods in the back. The drive wasn't too far, and you all quieted down and began a small conversation.

  
"So, uh, I've been meaning to ask," you turn your head towards James to see him, his eyes are fixed on the road, "how do you like working for us?"

  
That wasn't something you'd been expecting, mostly because James asks all the time. Or it felt like it. You've only worked a week in total, and you didn't really feel like they needed your help, but everyone insisted you stay even if it was just for the company. When it came to actual work you knew the intricate stuff, encoding, effects, difficult renders, the whole works. Everyone thought it was funny when you came in on the first day with all of your knowledge and asked about quick cuts. It wasn't that you didn't know how, it was that their style as a whole was just different. Aron and Trevor went above and beyond to make you feel comfortable and teach you without making you feel stupid. This whole group of people you've come to feel incredibly close with in a short amount of time. It made you feel scared, but those feelings rushed up on you too fast, so you didn't think about them right now.

  
You let out a small breath that you're sure no one else heard. "I like it a lot, everyone is so weird and nice and I don't know." You felt like you were rambling and sounded like you were nervous. You tried again, "I'm just thankful. Not uh, you know, just for the job but also for hanging out." That was more in the vein of your feelings, but this time way more cheesy. You guessed it didn't matter though, the both of them were smiling.

  
You hear Aleks let out a small, almost nervous, huff of air. "Yeah me too. Being with just the guys was going to make me go crazy." He leaned in a small bit, poking his head between the passenger seat and the drivers. He's looking at you, and you know that that's his best way of thanking you too.

  
"Whatever dude. You were already crazy. I am happy you're with us though." James says, shifting his eyes to you and then back to the road. It was late, the clock on the dash of the car read 1:48 in the morning, so there weren't many cars on the road. "It's been nice to have the extra help, and someone to actually take care of the dogs. They're probably more happy to see you there." It was true, you loved their dogs so much. You and Joe probably are the two that make sure they're always fed and happy the most, but it's not like everyone else neglects them.

  
"I know right, I'm surprised you two were able to keep them alive." You glance at the both of them. The tension from the conversation beforehand seemed to melt away. You weren't sure why there was any tension there in the first place, but the feeling (whatever it was) is gone now.

  
"We're just bad dads." The sudden interjection from Aleks makes you laugh. He lightly laughs too, and you find that he's looking at you. His gaze makes you feel warm and you turn away, trying to think of something else to say.

  
You feel the jolt to a turn and see that you're in a parking lot. The drive really was only 15 minutes but it felt a little longer than that.

  
You all exit the car and move towards the small building. The lights shone bright from the outside, and when you all stepped in you were greeted by a bored teenager.  
"You guys can, uh, you know, sit wherever you like." He seemed incredibly nervous for some odd reason. Aleks spoke to him in a nice tone, hearing the nervousness in the other boys voice.

  
"Thanks man. Are you here all night?" Trying to make him feel more comfortable, he engages in small conversation.

  
"Y-yeah. Well, just until 3 and then my co-worker is here until 8." He's moving his hands around him in a swirl of nervousness.

  
"Aw dude. That must suck for you guys. Do a lot of people come in at this hour normally or, is it just idiots like us?" Aleks gestures to both you and James. You smile weakly and notice that James isn't around. You find him sitting at one of the car games, inserting coins so he can start. You give a light airy laugh at him.

  
"I, ah, you guys aren't idiots! But no, there's hardly anyone from 11-6. I'm just glad you guys aren't drunk. That sh-shit sucks sometimes." You notice the waver in the guys voice when he goes to curse, almost like he didn't want to say it but did anyway. You wondered why. You took the small steps towards Aleks and put a hand on his arm that was tucked into his pocket. He looked over at you and you felt him tense his arm where your hand lay.

  
"I'm gonna go play with James. Will you order the food?" You figured he wanted to talk to this guy, but you wanted to go explore what this place had to offer.

  
Aleks grins at you. "Sure, cause I'm just your fuckin' slave always." He puts his hand on the smalls of your back, pushing you away lightly. The touch makes your heart pound quickly, but you try to cover up your sudden nervousness with wit.

  
"You seem to always like it when I boss you around, is there some kink I don't know about?" You smile at him and he just laughs back at you, never answering the question.

  
Leaving him to his conversation and task of getting food, you find James still sitting at the same game. The closer you get to him the more you hear his profanity.

  
"Fucking shit!" He sees you out of the corner of his eye take the seat at the game next to him. "I can't believe you guys let me drive here, because according to this game, we should've died at least 4 times on the way." He jerks the steering wheel incredibly hard to the left and you put your face in your hands watching him.

  
"Don't jinx it now, you're driving us home."

  
"No, I'm driving you guys to Aleks's and then going home. How you will get to your place is a mystery."

  
"What a sweetheart." You shoot him a nasty look with no real intent. He doesn't look away from the monitor but you see a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.  
Your friendship with James happened quick. You found that you two clicked nicely, your wit and attitude mirroring one another's. James is always the one who isn't afraid to ask you how you really feel. You like that about him.

  
Your mind wanders and you blankly stare at the screen that's blaring car noises, and wonder where Aleks is.

  
"Hey," James is looking at you now, eyes fixed on yours, "you okay?" The way he asks makes you want to feel embarrassed. His words are quiet when they don't need to be.

  
"Yeah, just tired of seeing you get your ass kicked." It was half-way true, you were tired, but could never get enough of seeing James get pissed at something trivial.  
He makes a surprised face and then throws both hands out at the screen. "I came in fourth! How the hell is that getting my ass kicked."

  
You get up out of the seat and glance at the game and then back at him. "Fourth out of four does not sound all that impressive. Aaaaand," you draw out the a, while pointing at him, "you got lapped."

  
Loudly, he slumps back into his chair with a huff, "I didn't think you were actually fuckin' paying attention. Shit."

  
You give him a cocky smile and were about to challenge him to a match when you hear Aleks voice.

  
"Guys, come here a second!" Both you and James head in that direction, curious.

 

It takes all of 10 seconds to find Aleks, because he's still in the same spot that he was when you left him. He's leaning on the small counter at the front desk, the boy is behind said counter, smiling wide. You notice a dorky smile on Aleks face too, you can't help but smile either.

  
James strides up behind you, putting his hands in his pockets. "What's up?"

  
Aleks straightens up a bit, then sticks his thumb out towards the boy. "This dude is the channels biggest fan."

  
James smiles instantly and walk to join Aleks, leaning over the counter. You, however stay put. You didn't see why Aleks felt the need to call you both over, you weren't a part of the group the way these two were. No one even knew you'd done any editing for them, and you thought that if they wanted you to be an official part of the crew they would've posted something or asked. You began to fidget with your hands, but still kept a small smile. This was your first encounter with a fan. Aleks and James are so natural in the situation, but it only makes sense, they've been dealing with this for years.

  
Aleks looks over to you and gives you a questioning look. He shoulders you over.

  
James calls out to the guy, "So whats your name man?"

  
"I-ah, Michael. I'm Michael." He's a tall kid with shaggy brown hair and thin glasses. He's nervously tapping his fingers together, but you can't miss the happiness in his face.  
"You new here? Cause we normally come around here every month or so, and we haven't seen you." Aleks gestures to the place around them. You walk closer to them and situate yourself next to Aleks, and he gives you a small smile. You notice the boy eyeing you.

  
"Yeah, I mean I've been here a few weeks but yeah." You hear Aleks hum in approval. "Would-uh- would you guys mind if we get a picture?" James answers with a quick 'yeah of course dude!' before anyone can say otherwise. You knew the kid wasn't talking to you. No fans even knew you were working with them. So, you politely ask if you want him to take the picture for you guys.

  
"Yeah! That would be great! Thanks." You see Aleks shoot you a glance, almost apologetic. You just nod your head at him, as the guy hands you his phone.  
You hold up his phone and count off a quick 'okay, one, two, three!' before snapping the picture. Everyone looked incredibly happy and you couldn't help but smile.

  
Michael comes up to you and says a quick thanks before taking it back for the boys to see.

  
You hear Aleks give out a small chuckle. "Huh, not half bad. Now let's get a selfie with everyone."

  
You saw Michael give him a confused look, and you gave Aleks one too.

  
"Yeah, she's our newest member. The best damn editor you've ever seen. I give you permission to post it on Reddit or wherever, you can give out the info before we do." Aleks gestures for you to come stand next to him and you see Michael's eyes go wide.

  
"O-oh! I didn't know she was a member. Honestly I just thought she was your girlfriend." He smiled and went to shake your hand. A sweet gesture even it if was a bit awkward.  
You felt your heart race a small bit at the girlfriend comment he made and stole a glance at Aleks to see if it affected him at all. He was just grinning. James held up the phone and took a picture of all of you. You loved it.

  
"Thank you guys so much. This is so cool." Michael beamed and you all just said your own versions of you're welcome and went to go play some games. At first you all surrounded the old arcade games, testing our Burger Time. You seemed to be the best at it, and of course that annoyed the two other boys.

  
After half an hour of following the two around, James decides to try his hand at the same car game as before. You watch Aleks play a game you haven't ever heard of.

  
Standing next to him, you take a second to look at his face. He wore a bright smile and the dim low light from the game was a good look on him. You let your eyes wander down to his arms, you looked at his tattoos for awhile. One arm was filled with colorful illustrations, while the other just had outlines. You don't know how long you were observing the way the muscles in his arms moved, but when he looked down at you, you flashed him a small smile.

  
"What?" His voice was surprisingly soft, you weren't expecting it.

  
"Nothing, you dork." You shifted slightly, putting more weight on your left foot instead of your right.

  
"You've got that look on your face." You cock your head to the side. "The like, 'I've got something to say look'. You forget I'm amazing at reading people." That was a terrible lie, and you both knew it. Instead of giving him a hard time you just lowered your eyes back to the game and leaned on the side of it a small bit.

  
"I have a question actually." You say in an equally soft voice. You see him look back at the game and give you a nod to go ahead.

  
"What do your tattoos mean?" You don't look up at him, pretending to shift your concentration into what he was doing instead of what he looked like when he did it.  
He gives you a small huff, not of annoyance but more of humor. "They don't mean anything. I just like the way they look. Do you have any?" The question was very casual, so you answer with a quick shake of your head. "Okay well, they don't hurt, depending on where you get them I guess. I just, God this is going to sound fucking stupid," he pauses his sentence for a quick second while he presses buttons in no certain order on the game. You look at him, wanting him to say whatever it was. "They're not like art I guess, but kinda? I want them to be nice to look at. They don't have to mean anything." He didn't sound frustrated, just embarrassed maybe?

  
You took a leap and touched his left arm, the one with most of the outlines on it. He didn't flinch or push you away. Instead he stood there, leaning into your touch.  
You traced all the outlines, feeling how his arms moved. Your face went warm as you moved up his arm near his bicep. You weren't looking at his face so you didn't see him look down at you. His face was warm too. You quickly let the tips of your fingers brush their way back down to his wrist. His fingers twitched and you decided to stop. In your mind you felt you were making him uncomfortable.

  
Leaning back on the game, you didn't look at him. You could tell your face was still a little warm.

  
You saw Aleks reach his hand for yours when you just about had a heart attack from James screaming, "PIZZA IS READY FUCKHEADS!" You looked at Aleks and smiled a weak smile, and began to walk in front of him.

  
You felt his hand touch the back of your arm as he strode to walk next to you. Your skin felt so warm and cold at the same everywhere he touched you. Thinking about that made you want to bury your burning face in your hands.

  
You smiled at James as you two walked to where he was sitting. He chose a booth for all of you, with three pizzas sitting in front of him.

  
"What do we have here?" You ask James with a cheeky grin, as you and Aleks sit in front of James in the booth.

  
"The kid told me that Alekso ordered a large cheese, a large meat lovers, and a small pepperoni." James starts divvying up his and Aleks's pizza onto plates and just plops the small pizza box infront of you.

  
Huffing a small bit you look over at him. "What? I don't get a plate?" James smiles at you a wide smile.

  
"Excuse me miss. Marchant got that one all for you." You felt a small bit embarrassed when Aleks lightly touched your leg underneath the table.

  
"Do you not think I'm good at sharing or something?" You were smiling when you said it, but Aleks looked genuinely concerned.

  
"No, I'm sure you're capable. We just aren't." He smiles at you. "Plus, like forever ago you said that this was your favorite, so. Yeah." He finished lamely. You nudged his knee underneath the table with yours as a small thanks.

  
The rest of the night was somewhat uneventful. You three talked about nothing, laughing the whole time.

  
Around 2 in the morning, you all decided to leave. James, as promised, dropped you two off at Aleks's house and went home after giving brief goodbyes. You'd see him tomorrow probably anyway.

  
After James left, Aleks looked at you and asked to walk you home. You couldn't say no.

  
You both walked next to each other in the dark of the late night or early morning, which ever one. It was quiet, neither one of you saying anything. Both of you had your hands in your pockets, and you couldn't stop the feeling of just wanting to touch his hand again. Rounding the corner, you walked up the pathway to your house.

  
You walked up to the door and turned around facing him. "Thanks for tonight, Aleks." You looked up at him. He really was so much taller than you.  
He gave a quick huff of a laugh. "Yeah. No need to thank me. I just. Yeah." His voice drifted into the stillness that surrounded the both of you. You felt so... small. Alone almost, but you weren't. The beating in your chest tingled up into your ears. You wanted to hug him, touch him again. Anything. You felt lightheaded. You were going to say something when Aleks touched your hand.

  
"Is it okay if I text you?" What a wonderfully absurd question. There was no need for him to ask. That's all you do whenever you aren't together. You give out a shaky laugh that sounded so loud in the darkness.

  
"You're a fucking dork. Text me when you get home." You slowly take your hand out of his, feeling the warmth of his fade.  
You unlock your door and walk inside. He waves tentatively at you, and you wave back. Closing the door behind you, you finally breathe. Your heart didn't feel like it was going to be able to calm down.

  
You don't even bother showering, you were just exhausted. Like every night you plugged your phone in and changed into comfortable clothes to sleep in. While you were brushing your teeth you heard the familiar buzz of your phone. Toothbrush hanging haphazardly out of your mouth you went to check your phone.

  
_i really like hanging out with you_

  
_mishka misses you already_

  
_sleep well_

  
You laughed. Mishka missed you? Yeah. You missed her already too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok. listen. I know you've been waiting months. I have no excuse. Thank YOU FOR WAITING. I WILL TRY TO DO MORE FOR YOU ALL BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL SO KIND AND SWEET. Seriously I wouldn't be posting at all without you guys. It makes me so happy. ok. I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY WITH THIS. c:


	7. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not just the seasons that are changing.

As time passed you wondered what your life would be like if you hadn't met Aleks or James or even little Mishka. They've made you incredibly happy, and you think they know that because of how loudly you laugh whenever they're around.

The whole Reddit thing went over quite well, and you we're mildly accepted as the intern that-wasn't-really-an-intern and that was fine with you. You worked quietly on weekends, you found they created a small setup for you in the same room as Aleks and James. You never witnessed the craziness that happened around the office, but always had to see it because of your job. You couldn't believe how ridiculous they were.

Some days you'd find yourself laughing so hard at something, the kind of laughter that makes your stomach hurt in a satisfying way. You'd swivel around in your chair and see (sometimes just Aleks, sometimes just James, but most of the time the both of them) eyes shining at you. You found yourself talking with Joe more, he was positive in a way that made you want to try harder just to be a better human. You got along with all of them, but you still found yourself sitting on Aleks's couch most of the time. You never really felt uncomfortable around them, and that meant everything to you. 

Tonight, you made your normal 3 minute walk from your house to his, appreciating snow around you. The season change from fall to winter hit Colorado hard, blanketing the ground and everything else with a generous amount of snow. Recently you, James and Aleks all spent time in the park closest to you guys, enjoying the weather before it got too crazy. When you walk into Aleks's home (you don't normally knock anymore, it's just a formality at this point) you're greeted with the pitter-patter of little paws and loud "hey!" from the living room.

"Hey yourself," you say to James who was sitting in the armchair in the corner. From the looks of it he's been there for awhile. You wonder if James ever actually spends time at his house. You then notice a lack of yelling and glance around the room. "Where's Aleks?" You ask looking around and smiling down at the dogs under your feet.

"What? Am I not good enough for you?" James has a grin on his face when he questions you. You've been able to read him rather well, considering all the time you two have spent together.

"Obviously not." You make a big deal out of rolling your eyes and sounding annoyed. He just smiles at you, the two of you sharing a glance for a quick second.

"Nah, I don't know. He uh," James pauses for a moment, his grin dropping from his face, and glances at you briefly, you almost miss it. "He said he has a date or something." For a second you feel your heart plummet, it feels like the wind has gotten violently knocked out of you.

You flop down on the couch, doing your best to look normal, you're sure James saw the small change in your face for that split second though, he hadn't looked away. "Something for the channel or what?" You ask in your most faux-curious voice you could manage. You were hoping for the answer to be a quick and dismissive 'yes' but all you got was a shake of his head. He's finally stopped looking at you and turned his attention to the TV. "Oh, I gotcha. Who's the unlucky lady?" You smirk at him.

"Honestly, I didn't even ask. He was quick to leave though." You just silently nodded your head. Your heart felt weird, and you were extremely annoyed that it did. For quite awhile you've been doing your best to not get too attached to Aleks, chalking your feelings up to the plain fact that he was the first friend you've made in a long time. But, as time went on, you kept thinking about the tentative touches you two shared, and the way his lips moved when he laughed. For some reason you had convinced yourself that he shared some of those feelings for you too, but that just must've been him being friendly. A dull ache in your chest made it feel like you were going to be sick. This little encounter makes it that much easier to push those ridiculous feelings away.

Ein jumps up on the couch and nudges herself between your arm and the pillow lazily thrown to the side. The pet her and look towards James. "So kid, what are we watching?" You try your best to steer the conversation clear of anything that has to do with Aleks. All you wanted to do was walk home and cry, but you weren't pathetic, just a little hurt. Snapping your thoughts away from the situation going on in your head, you notice James scrolling through his phone paying little attention to your question, and wonder you if he really wants you there.

Glancing up, he gives a small nod to the remote that lay close to you. You begin to flip through the channels when you notice James rise from his seat and plop himself right next to you. Your brows knit together as you silently question him. He just smiles, looking up at you and then down to his phone again. "Why didn't you tell me you had an Instagram?" He's got the biggest goofiest grin on his face and it's so infectious you smile too. "James, oh my god. We've been friends for _months_! I've tagged you in like 4 pictures by now. I even said I was tagging you in them!" You pull his phone from his hands and scroll through your own feed, pointing out the pictures. You notice all of them have Aleks in them too. In fact, your wanting to post them was just because you wanted everyone to see you and Aleks together, but didn't want to make your small pining so noticeable. James breaks you from your small mental crisis you were beginning to have.

"You know I use Instagram like 4 times a year." He plucks his phone back from your hands, pocketing it afterward. "Well then, that can't really be my fault that you didn't know." You massage circles into Eins fur as you confront James. You see his eyes flicker to the motion and then back up at you, still smiling. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. What are we gonna watch?" You sigh loudly, and lean back towards James a bit as you flick through channels, finally landing on some straight-to-DVD horror movie that you're sure is terrible.

James shifts towards you slightly as well, and soon Mishka joins Ein on the couch. And that's how you four end up spending a good portion of your night. Watching terrible D-list horror movies and taking turns every so often to grab snacks and let the dogs out.

Some time during your shift your hear James follow you to the kitchen. Looking up at him you call out, "Hey whatcha need?" You were just beginning to make some sandwiches for the two of you, setting some meat aside for the dogs. "Just wanted to help. Commercials are on anyway." Nodding at him you hand him the bread and mumble something about him getting to work.

After a few moments of silence you hear a tiny bark from the door. "The ladies are demanding tonight." You hear James laugh at you bad attempt at a joke. You like the sound of his laugh, it always made you want to smile. You two go back to making food in a comfortable silence with the dogs waiting impatiently under you and the sound of the TV in the back. Your rhythm with each other gets interrupted when James bumps into you slightly. "Ah, shit sorry. Didn't mean to." You glance over to him. "It's okay." You say softly, falling back into your quick routine.

"Hey, I got a question for you," James inquires as he hands you back some bread. "Shoot kid." You've become fond of calling him that, even though he's older than you. It's just slightly out of habit now. He stops what he's doing and looks at you, which concerns you a small bit. You didn't think the question was going to be anything serious or pressing, apparently you were wrong. "Wanna like go out or somethin'? Just you and me?"

To say you were startled would be an understatement. You looked up at him, brows knit and eyes slightly wide. He didn't look as if he was worried or nervous, which made you think it was almost a joke. You give a light laugh. "Really, now? And do what?" You say it in a playful tone, but you were entirely curious. He shifts slightly, turning back to what he was doing, "Whatever you wanted I guess. It doesn't have to be anything serious." He says it so casually that it brings comfort to you, and you seriously consider it.

Up until tonight, you probably wouldn't have done anything but laugh and brush it off, but after knowing that you don't stand a chance with Aleks you think 'why not?' You aren't normally a jealous person, and you convince yourself you aren't saying yes because of revenge or to hurt anyone, because you seriously enjoy spending time with James. Come to think of it, you guys really don't hang out unless Aleks is around. You stand there and then look over at him, smiling a meek but confident smile. "Yeah you know what, that sounds like a really good idea."

James instantly lets out a sigh, of what you're assuming is relief. "God to be honest I was fuckin' nervous. Not because you'd say no or anything, but, just..." he pauses, trying to get his words right. "I was worried you'd get the wrong idea. Not that, like, you're unattractive or anything, I just think it would be cool to spend some time together." You feel yourself go warm when he says you aren't unattractive. Not exactly a compliment, but far from an insult too. You just laugh, trying to make this feel as casual as before. "Yeah, no, I understand. It's all okay with me." You gesture towards James to follow you with the food. "Now come on, we got some terrible movies to finish." He trails behind you, carrying two plates and answering with a 'yes ma'am.'

The rest of the night is pretty uneventful, and thankfully, not awkward like you thought it was going to be. You both still laughed and joked like the suggestion of a date never came up. And maybe that's how things were supposed to be. Neither you or Aleks ever made concrete moves to a relationship. Now, you see, it's because it wasn't you he wanted to be with. The ache you felt before was back, but you drew your attention away from it. Maybe you and James would date, maybe this would make things weird, maybe maybe maybe. Eventually you had to force yourself to just stop thinking about it and enjoy the time you were having now.

You begin to forget about the whole Aleks going out on a date thing, when he walks in around 11 pm. You hadn't noticed the time and panicked for a second at the thought of you being here. A million thoughts ran through your head: What if he brought the girl home? What if he was pissed? What if he demanded you leave? So many what if's flooded your senses that you barely register that you're almost completely laying on James. He nudges you slightly to move up before Aleks walks in the room. When he saunters in he looks happy and you're ashamed to admit that it hurts you.

He seems surprised to see you two there and his smile drops from his face for a second. "Oh uh, hey guys. I really didn't expect you to be here." He crosses his arms across his chest, he does it when he's nervous. You know all of his nervous habits. "I texted you man, a couple of times." That's all James says to Aleks before turning back to you and helping you off of the couch. You put on your jacket, taking this as the best time to leave. You felt incredibly unwanted in that moment.

As you walk towards the door the see Aleks side step tentatively around you and James, all you do is give him a weak smile and say quietly, "I hope you had a good time tonight." It sounds slightly more vindictive then you wanted it too. Oh well, you couldn't find it in you to care very much. Before he could answer James had his hand on the small of your back, ushering you out the door. You turn around to say goodbye to him, and catch a glance of Aleks and he looks pissed. It freaked you out, you've never seen him genuinely mad. Scared it was going to be directed at you, you pull your attention away from him and give James a side hug.

"Thank you. Tonight was a lot of fun." You wholeheartedly mean it, and he's smiling softly back at you. "Yeah, uh. So tomorrow? Is that good for you, you uh, you free?" You find his struggling endearing in a way. "Yeah kid. I'm free tomorrow." You pat him arm lightly before stepping out the door.

You find your walk to your house lonely, and then it hits you that this is the first time Aleks wasn't beside you. When you pull yourself in to the contrast of your warm house from the harsh winter wind outside, you vow that Aleks will only be seen as a friend. It hurt too much otherwise.

Aleks doesn't text you that night, and you try your best to be okay with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAAAA it's been forever. Luckily, you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter. also this is still very much an aleks x reader fic, but I mean c'mon angst and jealously makes the world go round (also honestly i wanted this chapter to be longer and a lot better but this was already killin' me). As always, thank you all so much for your kind words of encouragement. I hope most of you still stick around. It means everything to me.


	8. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An important date happens, and you become a little overwhelmed.

The next morning you get so much done around the house because of how nervous and excited you were for your date with James. He texted you around noon asking if you could be over at Aleks's 7, at first it seemed weird to meet at Aleks's house, but it makes sense, you've never been to James's house before. You can't help but smile at the thought of going on a date. You decide to text him back, realizing you never asked about what you two would be doing exactly.

  
_so how formal are we talking here?_   
_a little dressy, but nothing uncomfortable_   
_gotcha, see you at 7 :)_

  
Sounds good enough to you, you were never one for big fancy events anyway.

  
You spent most of the day cleaning the house, not having much else to do. Around 1 you were caught up in home repairs, being the independent person you were, fixing the sink that had been bothering you for a couple of weeks. You had just wasted 30 minutes sticking your head underneath your bathroom sink when you gave up because you couldn't see anything. Trotting downstairs, not ready to give up, you search through some drawers for your flashlight.

  
It wasn't in your nightstand, wasn't in the closet, wasn't in that drawer filled with stuff you had no place for. You were in the middle of looking through your kitchen cabinet when it hit you. Aleks still had your goddamn flashlight.

  
It seemed silly really, for you to get to worked up over the idea, but you did. You didn't want to think about him or see him or have anything to do with him. Especially not today of all days. But the honest side of you knew that you wanted to spend time with him again. You were taking this too personal, he could still be a friend.  
You tilted your head back, looking blankly at the ceiling, becoming frustrated with your own confusion. Letting out a loud sigh, you gave up on your sink and decided to shower. Might as well get that out of the way and watch TV for awhile, house work be damned.

  
You lounged for the next couple of hours, your nervousness subsiding due to your own annoying thoughts. At 6 you get ready, putting on a dress that wasn't too fancy but not completely plain either. It was a dark red and hugged you in all the right places. Applying makeup and fixing your hair, you get in your car and leave at 6:55, considering it would take but a second to get where you were going.

  
Stepping out of your car into the cold air sent goosebumps down your arms, and you hastily made your way to the front door. You rasp quickly, and hear the familiar sound of barking. When the door swings open you're met with James smiling broadly at you, wearing a blazer and everything. _He cleaned up nice_ , you thought to yourself. "Hey," you heard him breathe. "Hey yourself," you offered back. You both chuckled, now that it was happening everything felt out of place and a small bit awkward. It was comfortable, of course, until Aleks slumped his way in from the living room.

  
He stopped as soon as you came into view and all you could hear was a soft, "holy shit." Under different circumstances, you'd be thrilled. Instead, still feeling a little hurt, you smile cheekily at James.

  
"Hey, we should get going, yeah?" Offering him your hand he takes it lightly. "Yeah. Let's go my lady." The way he says it makes you laugh a genuine laugh. Only when both of your backs are facing the door do you quickly wave behind you and utter, "Bye Aleks," in a very sing-song voice. The door closes before he says anything.  
You both hop into James's car and he beings to drive.

  
"So, where are you taking me exactly?" You ask while he lightly hummed along to some music you didn't know. You took the chance to glance over at him. His eyes were bright and this was the first time that you noticed that he had shaved a small bit, just cleaning everything up. The way his lips pulled to form a smile had you fixed to your seat. Only when he started talking did your gaze move from his lips to his eyes.

  
"Just some restaurant. You said you hadn't been to many around here, so I'm almost positive you haven't even heard of _this_ one."

  
"Why, is it shady or something? Low lights and weird holes in bathroom stalls?" He laughs and shakes his head. "No, God no nothing like that. It's just out of the way, small, family owned." His hand gripping the steering wheel shifts for a moment. James has always been the kind of person to care about little things, like whether or not a place was family owned or a chain business. It makes sense he'd take you somewhere out of the way. You didn't hate the idea of busy places, but you didn't set you at ease either. All in all, James was so much more caring than you thought people gave him credit for.

  
"That sounds nice. Thanks James." You flatten the fabric of your dress at your legs.

  
"What are you thanking me for? I haven't done anything." He doesn't say it in a harsh tone. His voice seemed quieter than usual. You drop the fabric and just look out your window.

  
"Yeah, but, I don't know," you were trying not to sound sappy, too cheesy or dorky. "I don't get taken out very often. I'm flattered, I guess." You round the corner and find yourself face to face with a bright neon sign, 'New Happy Restaurant' is what shone across it.

  
You give a small hum of a giggle, "Sounds cute." He extends his hand out to you, motioning for you to follow him out of the car. "Yeah, the name is a little cheesy, but I promise you'll like it." You took his hand and let him lead you inside. A waiter led you two to a small table near a window, out of the way of everything else. He said his rehearsed lines of 'how are you guys doing tonight' and 'yes the weather is rather nice right now.' He set two menus down and announced that he would be back in a few minutes to take your order.

  
Once you opened up the menu, your eyes went wide. "James this is the biggest cocktail menu I have ever seen." You hear him chuckle. "Yeah I know. I also know that you don't drink a whole lot, so no pressure, the food is actually the reason I brought you here."

  
"Yeah, I'm sure that's the reason." You bump his leg under the table with yours and see him glance up at you. "You know I'm a gentleman." He says it to where it would sound like he was joking if you didn't know him better. You search his eyes for a while, and then place your hand over his. Nothing about this moment seemed intimate, but things did feel closer.

  
He pulls his hand away from you quickly and stares down at his menu, quietly letting out a long breath. "So, uh. Found anything you like?" He wasn't looking you in the eye anymore, and you wondered if you were being to forward. You let it go however, because you haven't looked at the menu beyond the cocktails. You take a few seconds to browse over the food options. It seems like the restaurant served almost everything, focusing on Chinese food.

  
"Hmm. Yeah, the orange chicken maybe? That and some wine I think. What about you?"

  
"I don't know. Pasta? Chicken? Pho? They have a shit ton of choices." You let out a small laugh and he smiles at you. "I think I'll just settle with the pho and a coke." You nod slightly at him and then tilt your head in question, "What? Over a hundred cocktail choices and you choose coke?" He shifts back in his chair and motions towards you. "I've got precious cargo to take home, and a roommate that will kill me if anything happens to you."

  
You immediately knit your brows at that. You didn't know James lived with anyone. "Since when have you had a roommate? I haven't exactly ever been over to your house."  
He gives you an expression that mirrors yours. "What, I thought Aleks told you? I moved in like three days ago. There was shit all over the house last night." Your mind recalls the house, and I guess there was more clutter than usual, but the boys are never exactly spotless.

  
"Shit! That's awesome!" You want to hug James and congratulate him when the waiter walks over, asking for your order. James gives him the orders and you both thank him.   
"Yeah, so Aleks and I have been talking about me moving in for forever. We were just waiting on selling my apartment. I thought he texted you last night? He said he was going to, but he was pretty pissy after you left." That startled you a bit. You felt that he had no reason to really be mad at anyone. You sigh. "That's weird. Did he say anything?" James shakes his head and shrugs a small bit, mindlessly picking up his fork and putting it down. You want to change the subject, Aleks wasn't going to be on anyone's mind tonight.  
"You look nice tonight." His eyes flash up at you and suddenly he seems to be self-conscious, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. It was strange to see him like this: Nervous and a little quiet. Normally he was the one keeping everyone on their toes, always saying things to make people laugh. Now he was reduced to a child. You found it more endearing than anything else. While you two were close, it was just a surface friendship. It was his now-roommate that you've had a few short personal conversations with.

  
"Can you believe it? I actually tried tonight. You should feel lucky, I shaved!" His smile grows and you let out a hardly laugh.

  
You did feel lucky.

* * *

 

Aleks sat at home. He was dazed still. He'd never seen you dress up before, and it pissed him off that you weren't dressed up for him.

  
His own possessiveness scared him a bit. He's had relationships before, but he's never felt like this -- and he wasn't even dating you!

  
He was too confused to move. He sat in his room looking at the ceiling. _I don't know why she's mad. Is she mad? Is it about the date thing? I thought she didn't like me. I just want to stop thinking about her._ His thoughts have been an endless loop of something like that since James left with you under his arm.

  
He let out a deep heavy sigh and moved his hands from behind his head and ran them over his face. Aleks wasn't really sure who he wanted to direct his anger at. James was the one with you tonight and he felt betrayed. There were a few times in the past where he talked about you with James. Sure, you were friends with the both of them, but you spent most of your time with Aleks. He wanted to take all of James's stuff and throw it out, but that wouldn't get him anywhere. They've been friends for years, way before you came along.

  
He was even more mad at you, for not seeing his pining. He walked you home, and texting you every day. He did everything but jump out at you and scream, "Wanna date?!" Or felt like like he did. Maybe he wasn't being obvious enough. But how could he not be? You made his heart hurt. Your laugh was amazing and you always had something to say. When you were in the office everyone enjoyed having you around because you were witty and could keep up. When you were just with him it felt so comfortable, like you'd been there forever. Your eyes were his favorite color and your skin felt soft when he felt brave enough to brush his fingers over your arm. Sometimes you would lean in and whisper things in his ear whenever James was around and he never really could listen because you were so close to him and he could just lean over and kiss you.

  
"Goddamn it." He fucking liked you, and it killed him because when is he ever so caught up on a person. He moved slowly from his chair and made his way downstairs, petting Miksha and Ein.

  
_This is going to be the longest night of my life._

* * *

 

You and James spend two hours laughing and having deep conversations about everything and nothing. It was refreshing to spend time with him.   
But as more of the night went on, it started to feel less like a date and more like you were hanging out with a friend. You didn't know if that was normal or if sparks were supposed to happen at some point in the night. You didn't linger on the thought for too long, if this date didn't amount to anything but you and James hanging out, that was fine.

  
After arguing over who was going to pay and leaving the waiter a generous tip, the two of you hauled yourselves in James's car. After a few minutes of mutual silence and listening to the music on the radio, James looks over at you.

  
"Did you wanna come over and watch movies or something?" You met his gaze and he seemed to be implying more than just movies. The thought freaked you out a small bit. You liked James, but you liked him as someone whom you could rely on. You never really saw yourself dating him.

  
"Kid, you have work tomorrow. It's almost 11." You said it playfully, hoping that he wouldn't see the momentary fear in your eyes. Instead, his face softens, and he just laughs a short laugh. "Yeah, I know you're right. You always are." He doesn't press the question anymore, and for that you're grateful. The rest of the car ride is filled with small conversation about what you both will be doing tomorrow. Things didn't feel as awkward as you thought they might, and because of that you started to feel more at ease. You didn't know how James felt about it, but you just wanted to be best friends with him. If you had led him on tonight, you weren't completely sure, because things left so natural like they normally do at the house. Or did they feel like that because of Aleks? You didn't know.

  
All too often you pulled up to James and Aleks's house. It was you who walked him up to the door and smiled.

  
"I had a lot of fun tonight. Normally we have fun together though?" He said it like a question, doubt filling his eyes. "Yeah you fucking dork. We normally have fun." Your confession made him smile, and then he started to look down at his shoes, his gaze bouncing up to you every so often. "So I gotta question then."

  
You shifted awkwardly where you stood, the winter wind was starting to bite at you. "Shoot."

  
"We can keep being friends, right? Because as much as I like spending time with you, you're obviously not my type." He says it in a friendly way, but you understand that he means what he's saying. You let out a big laugh and he finally opens the door, warm air hitting your arms.

  
"Jesus you're such a loser." You hit him on the arm as you say it. "Of course." You're happy with the confession, because you felt the same way.

  
The dogs found themselves at your feet, excitedly yipping at you and James. "Oh you guys fuck off please. I can't ever have quiet in this house." There was no malice in his voice, just faux annoyance.

  
"I'll take that as my queue to leave. I had fun. I'll see you tomorrow probably." You exchange a warm quick hug and he smiles at you before rounding the corner to the living room.

  
When you turn to leave you hear footsteps behind you and then Aleks call, "Hey, wait for a second please." Mentally, you curse. You weren't up to talking with him right now. You were tired, but you weren't about to be completely rude. You turn and give him a nice tight smile. "Yeah?"

  
He moves closer to you, and leans close to the door frame, not looking at you. His arms are folded across his chest, eyes are downcast, and hair slightly messy. When he speaks, his voice sounds deeper than usual, like he's tired as well. "I'm not here to mess up your night, I promise. But listen okay. I think I like you. If you're going to date James that's all fine. I'll fuck off and leave you guys alone, but, shit. I don't know. I'm not fucking good at this stuff." He finally lifts his eyes to meet yours.   
You feel lightheaded at first, like this is a weird dream. Your face grows warmer and you find yourself shifting in your spot, almost mirroring Aleks's posture. "Uh," you start lamely, "But you had a date?" You sound so lost in your voice, quiet and questioning.

  
Aleks moves away from you a small bit, hands shifting from across his chest to running through his hair, almost like he's annoyed. "I know, okay, but I did that because I thought you didn't like me. For the past few months I've been trying to man the hell up and make it a little obvious to you that you're like, fucking cute." Your heart beats rapidly, and you can't help but laugh. This was too much too fast.

  
"Smooth. God Aleks." You breathe his name and he glances up at you.

  
He must take the action as a bad thing, because after you're done saying it he moves closer to you and in his eyes he looks nervous, scared maybe. "Fuck. Okay, um," he moves to touch your arm softly. You let him. "You're мой хранитель. Okay?" You notice the change in the nickname. The shift from _the_ keeper, to _my_ keeper.

  
You lean against the door, his hand still ghosting over your arm. You feel overwhelmed, but not unhappy. You laugh again, and this time bring your hand to poke his chest firmly and lean your head on his chest, looking down at both of your feet. "You're so fucking annoying. I like you too." His hand finally presses fully into you, and his other one is placed lightly on your back. His warmth is nice, his musk is comforting, and his voice is all you want to hear. He exhales an airy laugh.

  
"You fuckin' hear that James. She likes me!" His voice rumbles throughout the house, and you bring your face to look up at him. He was smiling brightly.

  
"Yeah, you fucking idiot. I know. I spend all my time looking at you losers." James yells back from the living room. "All it took was a little push for you shitheads to see what I see: pussies scared to admit that you wanna get into each other's pants." James laughs a loud unabashed laugh.

  
Aleks and you both redden before pulling away from one another. When you quietly say that you should be getting home without looking at Aleks, James laughs again, knowing he caught the both of you off guard.

  
Before you make your way out the door to leave, Aleks gives you an unexpected hug. "I'll text you." Is all he says before softly closing the door.

  
When you get home, changed, and into bed, your head is still spinning. It felt like you were dreaming, and all you could think about was Aleks's chest pressed against yours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this one is a lil long and all over the place, but thank you for sticking with me! I think the rating may go up after this chapter. There won't be full on sex yet, but maybe a lil something. I have no idea quite yet. (aLSO SLOW BUILD MY ASS i'm so bad at slow builds bc i just want to see ppl together im sry) Anyway! Thank you! I really appreciate everyone who has read, commented, and left kudos. You're all too kind c:


	9. If The World Stopped Turning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The idea of things changing didn't have to be a scary thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI GUYS! So, I've decided to make a few changes! I'm deleting the chapter that was in the place of this one previously, and instead, that chapter will come into play later. I'm thinking I'll rewrite it and have it be chapter 11. I didn't like the way I transitioned everything. Hopefully, this will still make sense and people are still reading this! Chapter 10 will be up sometime this week, I'm thinking Thursday or earlier. If you have questions feel free to ask me either in the comments or on my tumblr. Thank you so much! Comments are always welcome!
> 
> And as always feel free to follow my love for aleks/yell at me to get to work (like literally pls do) on my tumblr http://grumpydanny.tumblr.com

                When Aleks came to you about moving to LA, you were shocked to say the very least. Everyone had been talking about it for quite a while, but to you it almost felt like a joke.

                “It would be a smart business move though, I mean, think of everyone who’s out there. It’s not like we have much keeping us here now.” You overheard James talking absentmindedly from the other room. You sat at your desk, working on miscellaneous projects that probably wouldn’t be seen for quite some time. _It’s not like we have much keeping us here now_. The statement didn’t hurt your feelings because for you it was true. These people have come to be a family for you of sorts. You completely quit looking for any other job and worked with them full time. Your every-other-day arrangement quickly turned into you getting your own desk and more or less taking over for Joe in most of the editing. He wasn’t complaining at all.

                Aleks’s voice cut through all your thoughts. “Maybe. What if – I don’t know. What if not everyone wants to move out there? That’s a huge thing to ask of everyone. I don’t want to leave anyone here.” That’s the statement that made you think this wasn’t a serious inquiry, Aleks who’s normally incredibly optimistic and up for big adventures, wasn’t diving head first into an idea for once.

                You heard a hesitant sigh. “We’ll just have to see, I guess.” James ended the conversation there for the day, and you put your headphones on which stopped you from thinking about the situation altogether.

                You had planned to leave early that day because you were feeling yourself getting bored and that was translating into your work. Your coat was halfway on when Aleks stopped you at the doorway.

                “Hey,” he smiled hesitantly, but warmly. “You leaving already?” He fidgeted with his hands, rubbing his palms together as if he were cold.

                Returning his smile, you shrugged on the rest of your coat. “Yeah, I’m just tired I think. I can stay if you want? I know it’s just a couple of hours until everyone usually leaves anyway.” You stand there somewhat awkwardly, hand already placed on the knob of the door. “Uh – no it’s fine. I was – I just wanted to talk to you about something is all.” Aleks leaned in and brought his hand around your waist, pulling you in for a timid hug.

                You returned it, slinging your arm around his neck. When he pulled back you noticed the redness that sat on the tops of his cheeks. “Okay, “ you started, “well you wanna come over later? Or was this more of a black-tie business thing?” The joking was evident in your voice, and Aleks smirked at you.

                “I’ll see you tonight.” His fingers lingered at your back, not pulling away until you were out of his reach. You gave him a small wave when you were out of the door and in your car.

 

                Aleks did indeed show up later, with a nervous smile on his face. He seemed more touchy-feely than normal, and although you two weren’t dating _really,_ you could’ve fooled anyone with how often he’s been hugging you lately. Not that you were complaining, but it got you stressed over why he wanted to talk. Hopefully, he was just going to ask you out and he was being very nervous about it. You liked that idea more than anything else that had come into your mind.

                “Hey, I’ve made dinner and stuff. Just in case you were hungry or something.” You gestured over to the table, a mix of different foods spread out over it. You two had been eating together so much lately you found yourself making extra servings out of habit.

                “Thanks, it’ll be nice to eat after today. Are we eating in the dining room or the living room tonight?” Aleks starts walking toward the kitchen, taking two places out of the cabinet and setting them down. His eyes flicker over to yours, looking for an answer.

                “Wherever you want really. You know I’m not picky.” You saunter over to stand next to him. Taking in the way his arms work as he plates food for the both of you. Hesitantly you touch the back of his arm, it’s a reassuring touch, one that you hope conveys your thanks. Aleks looks down at you and it takes everything in him not to lean down and kiss you. He loves the way your eyes look up at him like that, all bright and full of warmth and incredibly sexy even though you aren’t trying. He has to stop himself from thinking those thoughts.

                “I say the living room then. It’s more comfortable, and gives me an excuse to sit like, super close to you.” He hands you your plate and you chuckle at him.

                “You are quite the romantic Aleksandr.” The couch sinks under your weight, and you tuck your feet gently under you before taking your plate in your lap.

                “Man, it doesn’t take much to impress you huh?” Aleks, true to his word, sits close to you, letting his legs hang off the couch, but gently tapping his knee against yours.

                You hum a small amused sound in reply. You look at him softly before opening your mouth again. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?” The way Aleks tenses up doesn’t go unnoticed by you. His legs begin to bounce in place, one of his many nervous habits that you’ve begun to pick up on. You lean against him slightly, resting your shoulder by his. “Is it that big of a deal? I’m sorry. We can talk about it later if you want. I didn’t mean to push you or anything.” Your voice wavers as he begins to shake his head.

                “No, I gotta do this now, otherwise a lot of things will get fucked. I’m just nervous for some stupid ass reason,” Aleks puts his plate down on your small end table. He repositions himself so that he’s facing you completely now, only one of his legs off of the couch. You feel a sudden wave of anxiety, and it must’ve shown because he takes your plate from you and places it next to his, taking one of your hands in both of his. He doesn’t make eye contact with you when he starts talking again. “The guys and I have been talking, all of us really. Anna too. God –“ he cuts himself off, pushing out a breathy arid laugh. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous. Well, yeah I do. Anyway, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to stress you out with this,” he begins lightly tracing the lines in the palm of your hand. He takes one more breath. “All of us have been playing with the idea of moving to LA, like seriously. Everyone has been on board with the idea. It’s, uh, it’s been my job for the past couple of days to talk to you about it, but, fuck,” he mutters your name before looking at you.      

                “I’ve been so fucking nervous, because everyone else wants to move. I do too, really I do, but you just started working with us. It’s just, I can’t ask you to do that for us. You’re the newest member, and now everyone is talking about… yeah. I just,” he stops looking at you and pauses his speech. “I really want you to come with us, with me really.” The last words are softly spoken, but you don’t miss them. Everywhere he’s been touching you has been so warm and soft. You can hear your heartbeat in your ears. You hardly notice you’re speaking until his eyes meet yours.

                “So… when you and James were talking today, you were serious?” Your wide eyes give away your shock.

                “I uh, yeah. I guess. He was just trying to get me to talk to you I guess. Figures if he keeps on bringing it up I’ll have to do something about it. He was right. I know it’s selfish of me to be worried.” You let out a sigh and close your eyes before leaning your forehead on his shoulder. Your voice was muffled by his shirt when you spoke again.

                “This whole time I thought you were joking. I barely even thought about it. L fucking A, huh? God, Aleks. How much time do I have? When did you guys want to move? I’d have to find a place, and think about what I’ll pack and fucking getting a different drivers license and changing my mailbox and–" Aleks brought one of his hands to your back, rubbing small circles with his thumb.

                “You’ve got some time, I promise, we weren’t going to really do anything without talking to everyone first. Don’t worry. I’m sorry. I’ll help you with everything.” His voice was calm, so different to what it had been just 5 minutes ago. You could feel yourself relax and your thoughts dissipate. He always had this effect on you. You breathed heavily before bringing your eyes to his and placing your hand lightly on his chest. Maybe it was selfish of him to worry, and maybe it was selfish of you to be happy that he felt that way.

                “We’re gonna fuckin’ move to LA. That’s so crazy.” The moment seems so intimate. You know that when you say ‘we’ you mean everyone, but it feels like this is just between the two of you. Aleks' lips pull into a smile, his eyes give away how overjoyed he is.

                “We’re fucking moving to LA,” he mirrors your words, bringing his other hand to your cheek. The action makes your face go warm. Your eyes wander to his lips, and Aleks catches the movement. The air gets heavier as you two look at each other. You’re utterly shocked for the second time that night. Slowly he brings his mouth to yours.

                The kiss starts hesitant, with the both of you feeling it out. However, a light press of lips turns into Aleks slipping his tongue in your mouth as your fingers pull at his hair gently. You hear a small inhale when you pull harder, almost making him moan. Aleks starts to lay you down, your back hitting the couch gently. Feeling his weight on top of you is incredibly exhilarating and intoxicating, your mind racing with the implications.

                His hand moves to your stomach, pushing your shirt up just slightly so he can make contact with your skin there. You pull your nails down his back lightly, and that makes your kisses even more intense, his hands getting higher and higher on your stomach.

                You don’t know how long you’ve been thinking about kissing Aleks, thinking about having him this close to you, but you don’t care. He’s here now and he’s touching you like this and it all feels surreal and perfect and –

                Your mind is jolted from its thoughts when the sound of glass breaking across the floor makes the both of you jump away from one another.

                “Holy shit!” Aleks lets out a startled cry. He gently pulls away from you and gets up to inspect the damage the two of you have caused. “Oh, uh. I’m sorry. I, I’ll clean this up.” He sheepishly mutters before stopping in his tracks. When he hears your laugh, unfiltered and completely genuine he turns to look at you, embarrassment evident on his face.

                “What?” He questions. You make your way off the couch and over to him. “I don’t know. I’m happy. You make me happy.” You don’t look at him when you say that. Instead, you focus on your fingers playing with the hem of his shirt.

                “Oh gross. I kiss you once and now you think you can just get all sappy with me? No thanks.” You flash a smile up at him.

                “Aleks, you are so sweet and kind and caring,” you string off a list of words in a voice that is very over-dramatic. Aleks covers his ears in an attempt to not hear you, but it only makes you laugh harder. You slap his arm and try to pull his hands from his face. “Hey, you jerk. I mean it. You make me happy.” His eyes turn soft and roam over your face for a second.

                “I know. You make me happy too.” Your heart swells. You watch him step away from you and start to clean. Your mind flashes back to what James said earlier, _It’s not like we have much keeping us here now._ You knew that he was right, and maybe you were just scared to admit it. The only thing keeping you from moving hundreds of miles away was currently asking you to give up everything for him, and you knew that you would. He could’ve asked anything of you, and you would’ve done your best to make him happy. Part of you was scared, but the other part, the greater part of you, was the happiest you’ve ever been.


End file.
